Dispensing mechanism



y 7, 1957 T. B. MORGAN, JR

DISPENSING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 24 1955 a H "I. H.

May 7, 195 T. B. MORGAN, JR

DISPENSING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 24, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 dome secured to the under or inner side of the cover 22 by screws 29. The dome 26 is somewhat smaller than the internal diameter of the collector 20 to form a narrow ring-like passage 30 connecting the upper and lower chambers 27 and 28. As illustrated in the drawings, the upper chamber is substantiallysmaller than the lower chamber and is annular in shape. At its center, the dome 26 is formed with a hole 31 through which the tube 13 projects.

Preferably, the dome shape of the member 26 is utilized to turn the powder through a right angle as the latter is thrown laterally by the disk 19 so that the powder is directed downwardly without susbtantial loss of speed.

For this purpose, the disk is disposed within the dome whereby the disk throws the powder against the downwardly curved interior of the dome which deflects the powder down as shown in Fig. 2. Because of the curvature of the dome, the direction of the powder is changed without a susbtantial reduction in speed.

In operation, the parts initially are in the position shown in Fig. 1 with the collector 20 empty, the powder in the tube 13 supported on the disk 19, and an empty bag 12 beneath the spout 21. When the auger 18 begins to turn, the powder is thrown laterally from the disk 19, is turned downwardly by, the dome 26 and flows, down along the wall of the collector. At first, all of the powder thrown by the disk falls out through the spout 21 and into the bag 12. Since the auger 18 delivers the powder to the collector faster than it can flow through the. spout, however, the powder begins to pile up in the bottom of the collector as illustrated in Fig. 4.

Throwing the powder from the disk 19 creates dust within the collector 20 below the dome 26, that is, in the lower chamber 28. As the powder piles up in the collector, the dust is forced up through the passage 30 and into the upper chamber 27 as indicated by the arrows 32 in Fig. 4 while the dust-free air originally in the upper chamber-is forced out through the holes 25 (arrows 33).

Before the dust in the upper chamber also begins to flow out through these holes, the auger 18 stops and the powder piled up in the collector continues to flow out through the spout 21. This draws the dust in the upper chamber back down into the lower chamber as illustrated by the arrows 34 in Fig. 5. This also draws dust-free air back into the upper chamber through the holes 25 (the arrows 35 in Fig. 5). On the next cycle, the flow of powder creates a pumping action which draws more air from outside in through the holes 25 (see arrows 36 in Fig. 2) and thus insures complete scavenging of all dust in the upper chamber 27.

Fig. 6 illustrates a modified construction in which the parts corresponding to those in the preferred embodiment are indicated by the same but primed reference characters. In this case, the auger is omitted and the powder falls by gravity from the hopper through the tube 13. When the disk 19' is turned by the shaft 37, it throws the powder laterally just as in the case of the disk 19. A construction such as this may be used where the powder has free flowing characteristics and does not require the assistance of an auger to flow down through the tube 13'. In other respects, this construction is the same as that shown in Figs. 1 through 5.

It will be seen that an arrangement constructed as described above prevents the air about the filling machine from becoming dusty. This is achieved through the action of the dome 26 which serves the additional function of deflecting the powder downwardly without slowing the flow of powder and thereby maintaining the speed of the filling operation.

I claim as my invention:

1. Dispensing mechanism comprising a hollow easing having a discharge outlet adjacent the lower end thereof, a tube projecting down into said casing centrally thereof and through the upper end of the casing, means for supplying powdered material to said tube, an annular member encircling the lower end portion of said tube within said casing and extending horizontally across the casing to divide the interior of the same into upper and lower chambers, a generally horizontal disk disposed beneath said tube to support the column of material in the tube,.

mechanism for turning said disk about a generally verti-- cal axis to throw the material laterally of the disk intosaid lower chamber, the edge portions of said member being curved downwardly around said disk to deflect the material toward said outlet and the margin of the disk being spaced from the wall of said casing to form a passage connecting said chambers, and means defining an opening into said upper chamber to permit air therein to escape while dust in the lower chamber enters the upper chamber through said passage.

2. Dispensing mechanism comprising a hollow easing having a discharge opening adjacent the lower end thereof, 'a tube projecting down through the upper end of said casing and into the interior thereof, means for supplying powdered material to said tube, an annular member encircling the lower end portion of said tube and extending across said casing on the inside thereof to divide the interior of the casing into upper and lower chambers, said member terminating short of the wall of said casing to define a narrow annular passage connecting said chambers, a horizontally disposed disk located beneath said tube to support the column of material therein, and mechanism for turning said disk about a generally vertical axis to throw the material laterally into said lower chamber, said casing having an opening adjacent the upper end thereof to permit air in said upper chamber to escape and dust in the lower chamber to enter the upper chamber through said passage.-

3. Dispensing mechanism comprising a hollow cas' ing having a discharge outlet adjacent the lower end thereof and an opening adjacent the upper end, a gen erally horizontal member disposed within said casing and extending across the same to divide the interior of the easing into upper and lower chambers communicating with each other, a conduit extending through said opening and into said lower chamber, and means for intermittently introducing charges of powdered material through said conduit into said lower chamber at a rate faster than the free flow of material permitted by said outlet whereby the air and dust carried therewith are forced from the lower chamber into said upper chamber and the dust-free air in the upper chamber is forced out through said opening until the delivery of said charge of material is completed, the size of said upper chamber being correlated with the delivery of material to hold the dust and prevent the dust from escaping through said opening before the delivery of said charge is completed.

4. Dispensing mechanism comprising a hollow casing having an outlet portion at the lower end thereof, a member disposed within said casing and extending across the same to divide the interior of the easing into upper and lower chambers communicating with each other, a supply tube projecting down into said casing and terminating in said lower chamber, means for delivering powdered material to said tube, a horizontal disk disposed beneath said tube to support the column of material therein, and mechanism for turning said disk about a generally vertical axis to throw the material laterally 0f the disk and into said lower chamber, said casing having an opening in the upper end portion thereof to permit air in said upper chamber to escape and dust in the lower chamber to rise into the upper chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Nov. 2, 1922 

